So, my sister rang me in tears last week. Centrelink had rejected her application for the $605 child payment because her 17-year-old son wasn’t enrolled in “approved education.” What? Since when was that a requirement?
Since 2025, apparently. But you’d never know it from Centrelink’s confusing website.
If you’re as confused as we were about these payments, grab a cuppa and settle in. I’ve waded through government gibberish to figure out what’s actually going on.
Table of Contents
The $605 Payment – What’s Changed?
The $605 Child Payment used to be called something else entirely – the Family Tax Benefit Supplement. They’ve rebranded it, increased it (was $556 last year), and completely changed how it works.
Not long ago I was chatting with Deb at school pickup. She hadn’t received her payment and had no idea the system had changed. “I was counting on that money for Jayden’s new school shoes,” she told me.
The payment schedule isn’t yearly anymore – it’s quarterly now. Massive change that nobody seems to know about!
My cousin Trent works for Services Australia and reckons they deliberately make these things confusing. “If people don’t understand the system, fewer claim successfully, and the government saves money,” he told me over Christmas lunch. Cynical, but probably true.
Who Can Get This Money?
Basic Requirements
After helping four different family members with their applications, I can tell you need:
- Kids under 19 (but with conditions – keep reading!)
- Australian residency status
- Income under the thresholds
- MyGov account with Centrelink linked
That third point about teens? CRUCIAL. If your kid is 16-18, they absolutely MUST be studying or training somehow. My sister’s application got rejected because my nephew was taking six months off before starting his apprenticeship.
When I mentioned this at mums’ group, Lisa nearly spat out her coffee. Her daughter turns 16 next month and had been planning to drop out. That would cost Lisa $605 every quarter – enough to make her daughter “miraculously” decide to finish Year 10.
Income Stuff
The money you can earn before losing the payment has changed:
| Family Type | Base Threshold | Maximum Cutoff |
|---|---|---|
| Single parent | $56,680 | $89,335 |
| Couple combined | $75,940 | $112,450 |
| Each extra kid | +$3,796 | +$4,534 |
I was on the phone with Centrelink for 47 minutes (yes, I timed it) trying to understand what happens if you’re over the base amount. Turns out they reduce your payment by 30 cents for every dollar you earn over the threshold.
My neighbour Shan works at the hospital doing shift work. Her payments fluctuate wildly depending which fortnight Centrelink assesses. She’s started keeping a spreadsheet of her income to dispute their calculations when they inevitably get it wrong.
Residency Rules
You need to be:
- An Aussie citizen, OR
- Permanent resident, OR
- Special category visa holder
- AND physically in Australia when claiming
There’s this weird 26-week presence test too – you must have been in Australia for at least 26 weeks before claiming.
My mate Dave’s wife is British. They went back to the UK for 3 months for her mum’s cancer treatment, and it reset their eligibility clock completely. Complete nightmare timing when they were already dealing with family health issues and travel costs.
Also Read: $802.75 Centrelink JobSeeker Raise 2025, Who Benefits the Most?
The Application Process
How to Apply
God, I wish someone had explained this clearly to me before my first attempt:
- Log into MyGov (cross fingers the site works)
- Go to your Centrelink account
- Find “Family” menu option
- Click “Claims” then “Family Payments”
- Select “Child Payment 2025”
- Fill out the endless questions
- Upload docs they request
- Save your confirmation number SOMEWHERE SAFE!
My first application took ages because the site kept timing out. I ended up setting an alarm for 5am and doing it while everyone was asleep – site worked perfectly with less traffic.
They claim the payment is automatic if you get Family Tax Benefit A, but don’t trust this! My automatic assessment never happened, and when I called, they had no record of my entitlement. Always apply manually to be safe.
Documents You’ll Need
Have these ready before you start or you’ll lose your mind:
- ID for you and your kids
- Recent payslips or payment summaries
- Current bank details
- School/TAFE/uni enrollment proof for teenagers
- Updated relationship status info if changed recently
The system times out after 15 minutes of inactivity, so having everything ready is crucial. My first attempt failed because I was hunting through emails for payslips while the application was open.
Pro tip from my painful experience: Their document upload system hates certain file types. Convert everything to PDF before uploading. And keep file sizes under 2MB or they’ll fail silently.
Deadlines That Matter
Miss these and you’ll be waiting months for your cash:
| Apply Between | Get Paid Around |
|---|---|
| Jan 15-Mar 31 | Apr 15-30 |
| Apr 1-Jun 30 | Jul 15-30 |
| Jul 1-Sep 30 | Oct 15-30 |
| Oct 1-Dec 15 | Jan 15-30 (2026) |
My sister-in-law missed the March deadline by just one day. ONE DAY! She had to wait until July for her payment, which meant her kid missed out on school camp because she couldn’t front the fees in time.
There’s technically a 28-day grace period, but using it requires justification. “My child was in hospital” worked for my friend Kelly. “I was overseas” did NOT work for my cousin Alice.
Payment Details
When You’ll Actually See The Money
The quarterly schedule feels like Centrelink finally listened to parents. The old annual payment was impossible to budget around.
What they don’t tell you clearly is that payment dates depend on your surname:
| Last Name Starts With | When You Get Paid |
|---|---|
| A through G | First week |
| H through M | Second week |
| N through S | Third week |
| T through Z | Last week |
Our surname starts with ‘M’ so we’re always mid-batch. My friend Zoe complains constantly about being dead last every single time.
Last July, my payment was delayed by 5 days with no explanation. When I finally got through on the phone (after trying for THREE DAYS), they just said “system issues” and offered no compensation for my late bill payment fees. Typical.
How They Pay You
You’ll get your money however you normally receive Centrelink payments – usually direct bank deposit.
Some options include:
- Regular bank deposit
- Cashless welfare card (regional areas)
- Split payments for shared care
- Hardship advances in emergencies
I have mine split between two accounts – 80% to my bills account, 20% to my savings. Took three phone calls to set up correctly, but worth it for my budgeting system.
WARNING: If you’ve changed banks, update your details AT LEAST two weeks before payment date. My sister updated hers 3 days before, and her money vanished into the void for almost a month before they sorted it out.
When Things Go Wrong
Common Nightmares
After dealing with this system for years, here’s what goes wrong most often:
- Website meltdowns during busy periods
- Apply early morning or late night
- My successful applications have all been before 6am or after 9pm
- Documents getting “lost” in their system
- Always, ALWAYS screenshot your upload confirmations
- My birth certificate mysteriously “wasn’t received” despite my confirmation number
- Income reporting errors
- Check their calculations carefully
- When I worked two casual jobs, they consistently got my income wrong
- Shared care nightmare scenarios
- Document EVERYTHING with your ex
- My friend’s ex disputed their care arrangement mid-application and caused a 6-week delay
The front-line Centrelink staff usually can’t help with technical issues. Ask specifically for the technical support team (1800-465-239) – they’re actually based in Australia and know the system’s quirks.
Payment Problems
Three times now my payment has been less than expected. Check these possible reasons:
- Income changes they’ve detected through ATO
- Updated care arrangements
- Previous overpayments being recovered
- Changed eligibility for one of your kids
Last time my payment was $94 short, I discovered they’d counted my one-off overtime payment as regular income. Took two phone calls and a formal review to fix.
My friend Jan had her payment adjusted after her ex claimed more care days than he took. She had to provide her kids’ school attendance records to prove they were with her on the disputed days.
The 2025 Changes Nobody Told You About
After comparing experiences with my parent friends, these are the big changes this year:
- Quarterly payments instead of annual (finally!)
- Higher income limits (about 3.2% increase)
- Lower reduction rate (30 cents per dollar vs 50 cents)
- Education requirements extended to age 18
- New care percentage calculations based on actual days
The quarterly system is SO much better. Last year, my annual payment arrived just after I’d already put my kid’s school camp fees on the credit card. Paid interest for nothing!
I heard from my cousin, who works in community service,s that these changes came after a parliamentary inquiry found families were struggling with the annual system. Over 40% of recipients spent their annual payment within two weeks, then struggled the rest of the year.
Tricks I’ve Learned From My Mistakes
After every possible Centrelink disaster over the years, here’s what I wish I’d known from the start:
- Save every correspondence in a dedicated email folder AND take screenshots
- Note down who you spoke to, when, and what they said after EVERY phone call
- Update your income estimate every single time it changes, even slightly
- Check your payment details a week before each payment period
- Do everything through the app instead of the website when possible
My worst mistake? I trusted that my automatic assessment would happen. I missed out on a full payment because I didn’t manually check my entitlement status.
My second worst mistake? Not appealing a decision quickly enough. There’s a 13-week limit on reviews, and I missed it by TWO DAYS after a payment was incorrectly calculated.
Quick Questions People Ask Me
Short FAQs
Does this payment get taxed?
No! It’s tax-free, thank goodness for small mercies.
How does it work with shared custody?
It’s split based on care percentages. For my 70/30 arrangement, I get $423.50 and my ex gets $181.50.
Will it affect my other Centrelink payments?
No, it’s excluded from income calculations for other payments.
What happens when my kid turns 19?
You get paid up until their birthday, then it stops. My payment dropped by $121 mid-quarter when my eldest turned 19 last year.
Can I claim for a new baby?
Absolutely! My friend had her baby in May and applied in the next window. She found it easier than expected.
Look, Centrelink will never win awards for clear communication or user-friendly systems. But the 2025 changes to the Child Payment are mostly positive, especially the quarterly schedule.
I’ve stuck the application deadlines on my fridge with a magnet shaped like a wine glass (appropriate for dealing with government departments, I think). Between work, kids’ activities, and trying to maintain some kind of social life, I’d forget otherwise.
If you’ve had experiences with this payment that I haven’t covered, or found workarounds for common problems, please share in the comments. We’re all just trying to navigate this bureaucratic maze together!
